Brothers
by fantasy is everything
Summary: Ōtsutsuki Indra and Asura were reborn across many centuries, continuing their unresolved conflict. The endless cycle repeated itself again and again, until finally, it was broken. Or was it?
1. And so we meet again

_Disclaimer for the entire story: I do not own Naruto. Obviously._

 _xXx_

 **Chapter 1: And so we meet again**

Asura was fading in and out of consciousness, unable to make sense of the jumbled mess his surroundings had turned into.

 _Why, Indra, why? Why are you doing this? Please, stop this, just stop. Let's go back to how things were, back to when we were children. Why are you looking at me like this? Stop looking at me with those red – red, red, red – eyes of yours. You never looked at me like this._

A flash of red, an ear-splitting roar, and yet all Asura could feel was the comforting warmth around him as gentle fingers touched his cheek. Asura instinctively wanted to latch onto that warmth, envelop himself in it and never let it go. But all too soon, it left him again, always left him.

 _Don't you remember, Indra? Don't you remember what our father taught us? This wasn't how he wanted us to use Ninshu, how he wanted us to use our powers. We were meant to create, never to destroy. Please, Indra, stop this._

His body was strangely heavy, but nevertheless, he felt himself being moved again, being carried to a different place, passed from one person to another, each chakra signature unique yet they all blended together in Asura's mind. He still found it difficult to focus. Maybe this was an illusion, devised by Indra to end him?

 _I don't want to do this, Indra. Please, don't force me to do this. I don't want to fight. Why do you? You've always been my superior, we both know this. You don't need proof of this. I was never your equal, but that never mattered. Why does it matter now?_

Asura was unsure how much time passed in that strange state of mind he was in. A jumble of voices reached his ears, always different ones in the beginning, but after a while, he could distinguish between them. So few held that warmth he was missing, so many were full of fear and hatred.

 _Please, Indra, stop looking at me like this. Please, brother, come back to me, let go of all that hatred, just come back. How am I supposed to fulfil father's will without you? How can I even go on living without you, without losing myself to that same hatred that possesses you?_

 _What happened to you, brother?_

xXx

In total, it took Asura about half a year to understand the situation he found himself in. In retrospect, maybe it should have been obvious considering how easily he was being moved by other people, how he seemed to have little to no control over his body, how his mind was easily distracted. Indra would probably call him an idiot if he ever found out.

Then again, Asura felt it was entirely natural that he didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that he'd been reincarnated. Not much was known about the afterlife – and added to that, he hadn't even realised that he'd, well, died.

As guilty as he felt for the thought, Asura could only hope that he'd at least taken Indra with him to his grave. Even though he still didn't wish harm to befall his older brother, Indra was his responsibility. He didn't even want to imagine his children fighting against their scarily powerful uncle.

Though it was incredibly frustrating, Asura knew that it would be quite some time before he could find out how their last fight had ended. As it was, he wasn't capable of forming a single word with his untrained voice cords, he couldn't even stand upright on his wobbly knees. Instead, he was completely dependent on the mercy of the adults around him, which, as he quickly realised, was only reluctantly extended to him.

Asura felt sick whenever those fearful, hateful eyes of the people who were supposed to take care of him turned on him, reluctance, exasperation and disgust marring their faces. It was obvious to him that he was an orphan – however that had come to be – but that didn't explain the neglectful treatment he was subjected to.

Well, he had probably been a pretty difficult child those first few months that were full of confusion, pain, loss, nightmares and ever more pain. It wouldn't surprise him if he'd cried for hours on end, probably keeping his poor caretakers awake for several unpleasantly long nights, giving them quite a few grey hairs in the process.

Still, even if he was a difficult child, the treatment he received was … peculiar. And rather hurtful. Asura had always been a person who thrived in the company of other people, grew to be his best with their support, strove to reach his limits for their sake. To protect those precious to him, he had attained heights he never would have imagined … had been able to match his brother, who'd always seemed like an unreachable goal to him.

Thankfully, there was one person who treated him with kindness. Otherwise, Asura might have gone mad those first few months he'd been so unsure of what was happening to him. It was an elderly fellow, always greeting him with a smile on his face, warm touches and soft words giving Asura the emotional support he dearly craved.

If only he came by more often. But wherever he had been reborn, it immediately became apparent that his lifeline was a rather important person in the society he now lived in. The way people deferred to him was indication enough, but the massive, dazzlingly bright chakra he possessed sealed the deal for Asura.

As such, he was grateful that the man spared as much time as he did to spend with him. Still, he couldn't help but miss his company the second he was left alone again in that dark place with the many fearful glares. Asura tried to blink the tears away, sniffling slightly, but he knew by now that crying didn't result in the gentle attention he wished for.

Instead, he tried to distract himself by finally investigating the weight in his belly. Now that he was more aware of his situation, he'd quickly realised that even though he had little control over his body, it didn't actually feel as heavy as he'd originally thought. No, that strange impression originated from a disturbance in his chakra and considering how sensitive he'd always been to such things, it was no surprise that it bothered him so much.

Closing his eyes, Asura retreated into his mindscape, pleased to find himself in a lush forest, teeming with life. He'd always loved to be outside, to feel one with nature, no matter the landscape, but he was truly at home amongst the trees.

Laying a hand on the bark of a tree, Asura concentrated and tried to pinpoint the location of the disturbance. Navigating consciously through his mind was a strange experience, but his rather unique attunement with both his surroundings and his emotions apparently facilitated it quite a bit, if the stories from his family and his students were to be believed.

Slowly, Asura moved towards the darker parts of the forest, frowning as he steadily approached the disturbance in his chakra. It felt … familiar. Unnervingly familiar. Yet somehow, Asura was unable to match the impression he received with his memory. It almost felt like his senses were somewhat dulled, only allowing a distorted vision of something, someone he should know, yet despite his best efforts he couldn't identify it, couldn't sharpen the image.

A menacing growl resounded through the air as Asura approached the darkest part of the forest, entering a clearing that strangely enough seemed to swallow all light instead of sparkling in the sun as Asura would have preferred. "So the jailor visits the prisoner," a low voice grumbled. Asura squinted, wishing his eyes would adjust to the darkness already, or that he could at least find a proper light source already. "I didn't expect you so soon, brat," the voice added.

Then, a set of red eyes snapped open, slit pupils glaring at him from behind bars. His breath caught in Asura's chest as the foreign chakra presence grew even more oppressive, profound hatred mixed with disgust directed towards him even as disbelief filled his mind.

"Kurama?" he asked breathlessly, walking towards the red eyes with a few quick strides. The hatred was dimmed by surprise, confusion, then wariness as finally, finally, a thin sunray broke through the black clouds and illuminated the clearing.

Asura almost wished it hadn't. Because someone had put a gigantic cave, a far too small prison into his mind, and had the guts to lock up his sibling. His body froze as disbelief and rage warred for dominance, only barely managing to restrain himself to clenching his fists. "Who did this to you?" he finally growled, tears springing into his mind as he recalled the fox's emotions. Why did it have to be Indra's legacy that survived? When had Kurama succumbed to such mindless hatred that he would even threaten someone he'd perceived to be a child?

"Asura?" Kurama asked slowly, each syllable drawn out as he looked at him with wide eyes, anything menacing gone from his expression. "How …"

"Reincarnation, I suspect," Asura answered before Kurama could even finish his question while he visually inspected the cage, his eyes soon drawn to the conspicuous seal locking the cage. "I take it it's been a while since I died?"

"Centuries," Kurama replied quietly, though his ears perked up as Asura stepped even closer, "many, many centuries." There was sadness in his voice, desperation, but also painfully contained hope as if the fox didn't quite allow himself to believe that Asura was, in fact, here with him, that this wasn't a trick his jailors had devised.

"I see," Asura whispered, his concern about Kurama's state dominating the shock at that revelation. His family and friends, everyone he'd known was gone – but Asura hadn't really expected any different, anyways. It was probably better that a considerate amount of time had passed. At least then, he wouldn't run into as many painful reminders of the people he'd left behind.

It would have to be enough that at least his younger siblings still existed in the world, even if they didn't seem to be doing terribly well, if Kurama was any indication. Slender fingers rose above his head, grasping the thin paper slip, decorated with elaborate black squiggles, and, with a single fluid motion, he tore the seal off of the cage.

At least, that had been his plan. However, a hand grasped his wrist mid-motion, halting his effort to free his brother. "What are you doing in my son's mind?" A foot to the chest sent Asura sprawling, surprised by the sudden assault in his own mind. "I won't allow you to unleash destruction upon Konoha!"

His opponent glared at him with bright blue eyes, his red and white cloak billowing from his sudden movements even as he poised an odd-looking knife to attack. Still, he didn't move from his position in front of the cage, Kurama growling frustratedly behind him.

He was protecting the seal, Asura realised. This was the man who'd sealed Kurama in the first place – his father. Asura felt sick as he recalled the man's fierce, protective words, felt the fear mingled with anger as he tried to scare off the perceived intruder with posturing alone.

However, Asura easily noticed that the blond man wouldn't actually be able to put up much of a fight. His chakra was faint, so faint he hadn't even realised it was there before then. He'd almost completely exhausted himself simply by stopping Asura's action.

"I presume you are the one who put Kurama in here," he said as he rose from the ground, silently impressed how even his voice came out. Asura was … confused. Conflicted. The blond man, his father, didn't seem like a bad person – and yet, he had hurt someone Asura cared a great deal about. His only connection to his past.

There was simply too much he didn't know about the time he was in. "Kurama?" the blond man asked, cocking his head in confusion, but his guard didn't drop an inch. Asura couldn't say that he was thrilled about the fact that his father in this life had obviously been an accomplished warrior.

Before Asura could become outraged about the fact that the man didn't even know the name of the being he'd locked up, the aforementioned fox cut into the conversation. "Don't blame him, Asura," Kurama growled, putting his head onto his paws. The gazes of both men snapped to the fluffy predator in surprise.

"As much as I despise the Yondaime for sealing me, he did what he had to do. A lot has changed since you last walked these lands, Asura," he elaborated tiredly as he closed his eyes. Asura's throat turned dry as he heard the defeated tone in his voice. Ignoring the wary blue eyes following his every move, Asura made his way back towards the cage, crouching next to his brother's gigantic head, just outside the cage.

"The nine Bijuu are seen as demons now, and we have earned that reputation," Kurama continued, uninterrupted. "Humans have always tried to harness our powers. During the last few generations, they've taken to imprisoning us within human sacrifices, hoping to turn them into weapons that will elevate their villages to previously unknown glory."

That … didn't really sound very good, either. Asura frowned at Kurama's dispassionate explanation. "That's not what I did! Naruto is not a sacrifice!" the blond man shouted in response to the fox's words, a strange expression on his face. "And I don't appreciate you messing with his mind even further!" He sent an accusing glare into Asura's direction.

"Denial doesn't suit you, Yondaime," the fox sniped sarcastically, lazily opening one red eye. "Though I suppose I should give you credit for choosing your son instead of picking a random stranger you didn't give a damn about."

The blond man's mouth was drawn into a displeased line, but he didn't respond to Kurama's poisonous words. Asura scrutinized him from the corner of his eyes, head only halfway turned away from his brother.

It was guilt that was keeping the man quiet, he quickly realised. As much as Asura wanted to blame him for his sibling's predicament, it seemed he had been forced to do this by circumstance – by events Asura would be sure to grill his brother about later. But for now …

Asura rose from his crouch, holding out his hand towards the blond man with a somewhat reluctant smile. "My name is Ōtsutsuki Asura," he introduced himself. "Forgive me for my hostility, but I happen to care greatly for my family. Kurama and I share the same father, Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."

"Um …" the blond man replied eloquently, his expression flabbergasted as he relaxed his battle stance for the first time since he'd appeared.

"He means the Sage of the Six Paths," Kurama helpfully added, earning himself a bemused glance from his brother.

"The what now?"

"It's what humans call Hagoromo these days," the fox explained nonchalantly. If his space weren't so limited right now, Asura suspected he would have shrugged.

"Right. I see," Asura replied dubiously. It felt somewhat strange to consider that his father had passed so far into legend that nobody even knew his name anymore. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to think about that – he only hoped Indra and himself hadn't earned themselves any strange titles through the passage of time.

The confusion on the blond man's face hadn't really diminished even slightly, but now, something close to awe was mixed into his expression. "Um," he started again, putting his weapon back into his pouch as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure," he finally brought out, shaking Asura's still outstretched hand.

The title didn't mean anything to Asura, but he could always find out more about that later. "A pleasure, I'm sure," he said cheerfully, his smile growing a bit more genuine. It didn't cost him anything to be friendly, for now, and in his experience, a warm welcome went a long way to endearing himself to other people.

Namikaze Minato dropped his hand back to his side, reciprocating the smile only briefly as a frown made its way back onto his face. "You still haven't explained what you're doing in my son's mind," he finally said fiercely, eyeing him somewhat suspiciously.

Asura couldn't quite suppress the flinch at the accusation, his mind racing as he considered the best way to break the news to the man. "Well …" he stuttered, wringing his hands awkwardly as he dropped his gaze. It wasn't difficult for a father to imagine just how well this would go. If he'd found out that one of his children was actually an adult who'd lived an entire life centuries ago, he sure wouldn't have been thrilled. "I … um …" He rubbed the back of his head, unconsciously mirroring his father's action earlier.

"Asura is your son, technically," Kurama growled lazily, his eyes once again closed. "Ever heard of reincarnation, Yondaime?"

As his father's face lost all its colour, his eyes growing wide, Asura silently cursed Kurama for his blunt words. The truth would hurt in any way that it was delivered, but it would have helped if the fox didn't continuously antagonize the man. His smile frozen on his lips, Asura awkwardly tugged on one of his braids, looking anywhere but at Minato.

"No, that's … you're not … I …" the blond man stuttered, breathing far too quickly. "You're not Naruto. Naruto's a baby, he's not some long-dead legend who calls the demon fox his brother." The words downright rushed out of his mouth. "Naruto's an innocent child. He's the best of Kushina and me. He'll be an awesome shinobi and he'll surpass us both, he'll have an unhealthy obsession with ramen but his friends will make sure he eats other stuff, too, and then, he'll find a girl he'll fall in love with, and …" At some point, his voice trailed off as his shoulders started shaking.

"You're not my son." The words shouldn't have hurt as much as they did. Asura had already lived a full life, already had a loving father and precious siblings, had his own family, his own children. There was no need for him to want the acceptance of this man, this father, when he could remember all that.

But some part of him, as strange as it sounded, was Naruto, was the six-month-old baby who had experienced so little love over the course of his short life. Some part of him had wondered what had happened to his parents, why he was all alone, why only one sole person seemed to care for him in the entire world.

Asura had always been a sociable person, and all the bonds he remembered didn't exist anymore. His family, his friends, his father were long gone from this world. The people he lived with now only regarded him with disgust, and now … Now, the only person aside from his mother who should have accepted him without prejudice had cast him aside.

"I understand," he whispered, blinking against the tears springing up in his eyes. Because he did. How could he not? Every word Minato had said was the truth, even if he had been rambling.

"Asura …" He barely perceived his brother's worried voice.

"No, I understand, I really do," Asura repeated, turning his eyes towards the sky as a single raindrop hit his cheek, the sun dimmed by the now grey clouds. "If our positions were reversed, I'd say the same. I'm not … I'm not your son." He almost choked on the words. "I shouldn't … I shouldn't even be here. I died a long time ago. I'm dead." Dead, dead, dead. Indra had killed him. "I shouldn't be here."

His right hand clenched around his left elbow as he tried to stop his shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he managed between hitched sobs as the raindrops grew ever more frequent. What was he even doing here? He shouldn't remember his previous life. Nobody else did. So why was he here, all alone in the world, bringing nothing but pain to those around him? Why didn't he just stay dead?

Asura didn't know how long he stood there, trying to stop the tears that just continued flowing, his embarrassment losing the fight against the overwhelming loneliness that had threatened to throw him into despair more than once during the last few months. Indra would call him a crybaby again if he could see him now.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize." Asura froze at the words whispered into his ear as warm arms encircled him, pressing his wet face into a vaguely familiar shoulder. "You may not be what I expected of my son, but that doesn't change the fact that you are. I'm sorry for what I said. That was … unnecessarily cruel."

Minato felt so safe. Finally, Asura's stiff posture relaxed as he buried his face into his new father's shoulder, the arms around him tightening a fraction. "I can already tell that you're a wonderful, warm-hearted, brave person who I'm proud to call my son," Minato murmured into his ear. "You're my legacy. I know that you're the one I can entrust my dream to."

"Your dream?" Asura asked quietly, his voice muffled by his father's shoulder.

"Ah, my dream," the blond man replied, ruffling Asura brown hair. "To bring peace to this war-torn, bitter shinobi world."

 _"_ _Indra, Asura, come here." Their father grasped their hands as sat down on either side of him, his voice tired as he laid on the bed he would spend his last hours in. "I entrust this world to you."_

 _"_ _Asura," he turned towards the younger brother. "I have seen the relationships you built, the love you carried into the world. Continue to keep your heart and mind open and I know that you will fulfil my dream in my stead. I know you can bring peace to the despairing people of these lands."_

 _"_ _Indra," the older brother's expression was blank. "You have become strong, very powerful. Asura will need that strength on the path he is to walk. Support your brother and your mind will one day come to rest, as well."_

 _A tiny, sad smile lit up the often grim, red eyes. "I will, father. I'll always stand by Asura's side."_

That tiny, sad smile had come to haunt Asura just as much as Indra's promise, a promise he'd betrayed only a few days later without much explanation. But no matter how heart-broken he'd been by Indra's choice, Asura could never forget his father's last words to him.

As he had tasked him with, Asura would always strive to unite people, to help them understand each other, to create harmony out of discord. "That's a good dream," he whispered, fingers clenching around his father's white cloak. "I'll do my best to fulfil it."

xXx

 _A/N: For all those familiar with my other works: I did mention that I started watching Naruto, didn't I? And got side-tracked from writing my other stories? Well, I hope you nevertheless enjoyed the result. Let me assure you that ASL reset is not discontinued, but updates are slowing down a bit to indulge my fits of inspiration. Sorry about that._

 _Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the story. Leave many reviews before you move onto the next one! While I am planning to continue this story, anyways, encouragement is the best incentive I can get!_

 ** _Next chapter coming soon: "I love you, Onii-chan"_**


	2. I love you, Onii-chan

**Chapter 2: I love you, Oniichan**

The first breath after opening his eyes was painful. Someone was crying, but the noise sounded strange to his ears. Indra blinked once, twice, but his surroundings didn't make any more sense than they had before.

 _Come on, Asura. If you really believe that your way is the right one, shouldn't you fight to protect it? Father's legacy can't be that important to you if you're not willing to defend it against me. Maybe he should have chosen me, after all?_

Even when he did open his eyes, everything was lacking colour around him, so much black, too much darkness. Where was the fire, the lightning, the life? Where was the sun, caressing his pale skin whenever he experimented with his chakra?

 _We both know that I've always been stronger than you, Asura. Why are you even trying? We both know father should have chosen me as his heir. I should have been the one he sent out into the world to spread his will. He should have chosen me._

Clumsy fingers touched his skin, enveloped him in a caring embrace, chased away the darkness and replaced it with warmth. Indra tried to latch onto that wonderful feeling, the feeling that screamed of home, of things he could never go back to, and once again, he didn't manage to hold on, it slipped through his fingers like golden sand.

 _Father cast me aside, discarded me as if I was worth nothing! What is all that power I possess when nobody acknowledges it? Everyone looks only at you, the weak brother, the nice brother, and they shy away from me when they once admired me. How is that fair, Asura? What did I do to deserve that rejection?_

The warmth always returned, again and again, ever faithful, no matter how often it left Indra again. Family, his unfocused mind supplied. Asura, a tiny voice whispered in his head. His heart didn't care, only cherished it, swore to protect it with all its might.

 _Stop pitying me, Asura. Fight me, hate me, and maybe, you'll be strong enough to survive in this cruel world. Despise me for what I did, and prove me right. The world runs on hatred, on revenge, on jealousy, and soon enough, you'll become a part of that never-ending cycle._

 _Prove to me that you're strong, brother. I will only stop in death._

xXx

It took Indra about a year to realise what kind of situation he'd landed in this time. In his defence, though, he'd noticed pretty quickly that he appeared to be a baby, but he'd blamed that perception on Asura's sentimentality. No matter how fiercely his brother had fought against him during their last battle, Indra knew that Asura could never bring himself to kill his older brother on purpose.

It seemed perfectly reasonable to him that this was how Asura intended to keep him under control. Granted, he hadn't been sure how his younger brother had managed to pull it off – Indra was the one with the strong eyes, the only one who should have been able to trap a person in such a long-lasting dream. But if there was one thing he'd learned during their last battle, it was that Asura was annoyingly unpredictable.

And his experiences in that dream fit Asura's mindset perfectly. While he put Indra into a helpless, defenceless body, gave him a baby's sense of coordination so he couldn't continue to be a threat, he'd also given him the illusion of a loving family, a caring mother, a stern father, and an older brother who was everything Indra should have but hadn't been for a long time.

But as time passed, as his control grew, as he took his first steps and mumbled his first, awfully cringy words, Indra started to question the world he'd thought his brother had built for him. When his mother took him for the first few conscious walks outside of his house, into the big village they apparently lived in, surrounded by countless colourful people, Indra started to wonder.

When he celebrated his first birthday, Indra finally decided that he'd been reborn. Not even he himself with his powerful eyes could have pulled off an illusion as elaborate as this one, so no matter how many impossible feats he'd seen Asura accomplish, this was simply outside the realm of even his seemingly boundless imagination.

Nothing much changed for him after that, at first. Ōtsutsuki Indra became Uchiha Sasuke, son of Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku, younger brother to Uchiha Itachi, the budding genius of the clan. Sometimes, Indra couldn't help but smile at the irony of his situation. Maybe, he'd been given this chance to experience what Asura had felt like, to walk the path Asura had so desperately wanted to show him?

Whatever the reason he was here, Indra had already found his own to stay. He had a mother who showered him with desperate love, a father who looked at him with calculating eyes, and a brother who accepted him unconditionally, who would go to any lengths to protect him, as Indra soon realised. It was this brother that he would cherish, as he'd once cherished Asura, and that he would do his best to protect, as he'd failed to do before.

At three years old, that resolve burned brightly in his heart as Indra silently moved through the hallways, only faltering briefly at the closed door when he heard his parents' voices behind them. "Isn't it enough that Itachi's awakened the Sharingan already? He's eight, Fugaku! He should be sitting in the Academy, playing with shuriken, instead of slicing our enemies' throats!"

His quiet steps came to a definite stop as Indra hid in the shadows he'd always been so familiar with, his ears perking up at the news. That explained why Itachi hadn't come to see him immediately after returning, as he usually did. It also meant that he should hurry to his older brother's room even quicker, offer him the emotional support he'd undoubtedly need after making it out of such a dangerous situation alive.

"Our clan is in a precarious situation right now, Mikoto. You know this. We have to show our strength, and Sasuke can become a part of that if properly encouraged. He might not be Itachi, but even you can't deny the potential he shows occasionally."

Indra grimaced at his father's words. No matter how much he tried to seem like a normal, innocent child, he did slip up occasionally. Fortunately, it hadn't happened enough to challenge Itachi's position as the family's genius. That was one mantle he didn't plan on taking up again.

"You already sacrificed Itachi to the wellbeing of the clan. I won't let you destroy Sasuke's childhood, too. I …" Indra ignored his parents' conversation from this point onwards, dismissing it as unimportant for the moment. If his mother lost this argument, he would learn of it soon enough. For now, though, he had a big brother to visit.

Walking along the corridor silently, it didn't take him long to reach his destination. Gently, he slid the door open, closing it behind him after he'd stepped into the dark room. At first, there was no reaction to his presence, probably because Itachi wanted to fool him into thinking that he was asleep already. Of course, Indra wouldn't be that easily discouraged.

"Otouto," Itachi finally said with an almost even voice, but Indra could spot the mild panic lacing it. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't come visit me when you returned," Indra replied a little snootily as he stepped closer towards the bed Itachi sat on, the elder raven's glance directed towards his lap. "I was worried," he added a bit more softly.

"I'm fine, Sasuke," his older brother claimed in a carefully blank tone. "I'm just feeling a bit under the weather. I'll play with you tomorrow, alright? It's past your bedtime, anyways," he added in an attempt to scold him, but Indra knew he never really meant it.

Especially when he was far more concerned with the blood coating his hands. Itachi probably thought that Indra couldn't make out much in the darkness, but he could see the kunai still clenched in his older brother's hand, the dark spots marring his pale skin, the untouched bowl of water on his bedside table. The fight must have happened closer to the village than usual if Itachi came home to clean up.

It wasn't the first time Itachi'd killed. No matter how much it bothered him, Indra had still been far too small to do anything about it when it had happened, but he was here now. He was here to support Itachi when he had to process the first time he'd killed while having the Sharingan activated, the first time he'd remember each injury, each death with an unnerving amount of detail.

"Sasuke," his brother said warningly again when Indra took another step into his direction. But in his mind, Itachi could have done anything short of screaming out loud and alerting his parents, Indra still wouldn't have stopped. Thankfully, Itachi was a quiet sort of person.

Gently, Indra grasped the kunai in Itachi's hand, wrenching it out of the tightening grip carefully. "Sasuke," Itachi tried again, worry in his voice. "Otouto, stop it. You're going to cut yourself."

"I'm not going to cut myself with a dull and bloody blade," Indra muttered, finally moving towards the desk with the conquered item in his hand. But the victory felt hollow when he'd felt his older brother's shaking hands barely fight against his own only seconds before.

"Sasuke," his brother protested again with a wavering voice when Indra dunked the unused towel into the bowl of water, starting to clean Itachi's dirty hands with a tender care many people would have claimed he wasn't capable of.

Almost absent-mindedly, he shushed his brother's continued complaints, moving on from the hands to Itachi's clothes, unlacing his boots, helping him out of his uniform, finally wrapping the weary child in his sleepwear once he'd stopped resisting.

At last, he moved on towards Itachi's head, cleaning the few dark spots on his skin, combing his sweaty hair after he'd removed the headband declaring their allegiance. All the while, red eyes followed his every move silently, two tomoe decorating the iris around the black pupil.

Even when Itachi's hair was as smooth as it was going to get without a shower, Indra kept running his fingers through the long strands for a while. It was his fault. His fault that Itachi lived in this world, had to kill for this world, fight to appease other people's hatred. Why did it have to be his legacy that survived? Why had nobody followed Asura's glowing example?

Pressing a long kiss full of yearning, despair, of unfulfilled wishes to the side of Itachi's head, Indra quelled the part that was screaming for his younger brother to fix everything, that was berating himself for letting jealousy take over his common sense. It wouldn't do to dwell on his regrets – Asura would never stop scolding him if he got lost in his past. "I love you, Onii-chan," Indra whispered instead, hugging Itachi's neck with his short arms.

"I love you, too, Otouto," Itachi replied, his voice so faint Indra almost didn't catch the words. Dragging the older boy into a lying position, Sasuke covered them with the thin blanket as well as he could before snuggling close to his brother's body.

They laid next to each other in silence for a long time, but Indra knew Itachi wasn't asleep even if he tried to keep his breathing even. The elder raven might be lauded as a genius in the entire village, but deep down, he was still an eight-year-old with too many expectations on his slim shoulders, a soft-hearted child who'd been forced to face the darkness in the world far too soon.

As such, Indra thought it was entirely justified that Itachi's body was shaking almost unnoticeably, that his breath hitched every once in a while, that he hugged his little brother maybe a little too tightly. Indra pressed his face a little closer to Itachi's chest, listening to the erratic heartbeat.

"Do you like being a ninja, Onii-chan?" Itachi stiffened at the sudden question that broke the silence, before he seemed to almost force himself to relax again. His hands clenched around Indra's clothes ever so slightly.

He was silent for so long that Indra almost didn't expect him to answer his innocent question anymore. "It's an honour to fight for the village," the elder raven finally whispered, though, his voice hoarse.

"Yeah," Indra mumbled into Itachi's chest, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the indoctrinated answer. "But do you like being a ninja?"

A shudder went through Itachi's body. "It …" he started, an erratic breath interrupting his answer. Indra lifted his head from his brother's chest, looking up at him sadly. "It's our duty to fight for our clan," the raven finally finished.

The distinction between the clan and the village didn't pass Indra by unnoticed, but he put it aside for later consideration. "Yeah," he whispered again, wrestling one chubby arm out of Itachi's embrace to grasp one of his brother's hands. "But do you like it?"

Something between a sob and a chuckle bubbled out of Itachi's throat as he couldn't disguise his shivering any longer. It was almost as if a dam was broken as the boy went into hysterics, the choked laughter mixing with his tears as he curled around his little brother, clutching onto him with a raw desperation that Indra's eyes grew damp as well, almost starting to cry for the gentle soul that was trampled on by their cruel world.

Even as Itachi's grip grew close to crushing, as Indra's body grew stiff from the somewhat peculiar position he was in, he didn't complain or fidget. A little discomfort meant little when it gave his older brother the comfort he craved.

Itachi's body didn't stop shaking slightly even when his sobs subsided, when he buried his face into Indra's messy hair, when he finally pressed a loving kiss on his little brother's brow once he'd regained a modicum of control over his emotions. "We're all underestimating you, aren't we, Otouto?" he mumbled, pressing his forehead to Indra's.

"I'll be a shinobi, too, one day," Indra muttered in response. "It's good if everyone underestimates me." Even if every fibre of his being screamed in protest that this wasn't what the world should be like, that this wasn't the legacy his father had intended to leave behind, he knew that he would be in Itachi's position in the future. That was just as much a fact as the knowledge that Indra would struggle much less than Itachi did.

The first time he'd killed in self-defence, he'd felt shock, horror, disgust, but any guilt he should've experienced was absent. The first time he'd killed to defend those he loved, he'd felt justified, relieved, even though a tiny voice in his mind had wondered about the pain he'd just caused somebody else. The first time he'd killed deliberately, a part of him had followed his victim to the grave.

By the time Indra had faced Asura on the battlefield, he was dead already.

"You're not going to be a shinobi for a long time if I have anything to say about it," Itachi whispered fiercely, stroking Indra's hand absent-mindedly. But they both knew that Itachi wouldn't be able to do much if their father enrolled Indra in the Academy.

"I wish …" Indra mumbled, his words trailing off into silence. He wished that Asura had triumphed, that his little brother had succeeded in spreading their father's message of peace. He wished that Asura was here, smiling that gentle smile of his, the smile that made the world seem less bleak. He wished that Asura was here, with him and Itachi so he could comfort his big brother when Indra was at a loss for words. "I wish that I could take your place," Indra finally settled on saying, a few tears escaping his lashes.

"No," Itachi growled, the fire in his voice momentarily taking Indra by surprise, "don't even think about that, Sasuke. Never consider it again. I'd rather die than see you in my place." The elder raven's free hand moved to Indra's head, curling protectively in his hair. "Never mention this again, Otouto."

"Okay," Indra said meekly. Being the little brother was still a foreign experience to him, so he couldn't help but think about how Asura would have reacted to a declaration like this. Had Indra ever been as protective of his little brother as Itachi was? Faintly, he could remember times of pure adoration, of constant worry, but he could also recall their adulthood, an equal relationship, each recognising the other's strengths before everything went down the drain.

"But how am I supposed to protect you?" Indra whispered helplessly, remembering his silent vow.

"I'm the one who should protect you, Otouto, not the other way around," Itachi replied evenly, the shaking in his voice finally completely gone. "That's the duty of an older brother."

 _"_ _Please, Indra," Asura heaved as he tried to get back to his feet, wincing as his arm gave way underneath him. "Please, just stop this."_

 _A tiny, buried part in him flinched back as he saw the pain, the desperation on his little brother's face as blood dripped from the wound Indra'd inflicted with his own hands. However, that part was quickly drowned by the malicious voice whispering in his mind, questioning how his father could have ever considered replacing him with this … this pathetic excuse for a leader. "Make me stop, then. Prove to me that you're worthy of being father's successor."_

 _"_ _I don't care about that! Please, Indra, please, stop fighting!" Asura shouted desperately as he stood again, tears running down his cheeks. "This …" he choked, cradling his injured arm. "We're not supposed to be like this, Indra! We're brothers! We're supposed to protect each other, not destroy each other!"_

"That sounds awfully bleak," Indra said quietly, swallowing the regret he'd have to live with until the end of his second life. "Calling it a duty, I mean," he elaborated, closing his eyes tiredly.

"It is a duty," Itachi challenged quietly, adjusting the blankets to cover them more comfortably. "One that I chose myself." Finally, the elder raven seemed to relax slightly, his voice more optimistic, more hopeful than it had been during the entire night.

"I'll always stand by your side, Sasuke."

xXx

 _A/N: So, I'm aware that Indra and Asura are kind of obscure characters barely anything is known about, and that they're a part of the ending of Naruto that the fanbase is generally very divided about. But honestly, that's probably the reason I've picked them as my main characters._

 _There's little known about them, and as such, they can put an entirely fresh spin on the story, unrestrained by many expectations._

 _But anyways, about this chapter - what do you think of Indra, so far? Too cheesy? There will be more about his motivations, later on, not to worry._

 _Thanks for those who posted a review to my story! Looking forward to hearing more from you!_

 ** _Next chapter: Watch over me, Chickadee-san_**


	3. Watch over me, Chickadee-san

**Chapter 3: Watch over me, Chickadee-san**

"Have you ever been to the Land of Water, Chickadee-san?" The bird kept pecking into the ground, searching for food underneath the rich green canopy. "It's pretty misty and cold there, for the most part, not at all what you'd expect of a group of islands in the middle of the sea. What happened to sunny beaches and playful waves, I wonder?"

The blond boy turned another page in his book, tracing the lines with his finger as he fought against his drooping eyes. "Each of these islands has their own traditions, you know? That's pretty important to take into consideration, since it makes these parts difficult to rule even for the existing government. On the other hand, they might be easily susceptible to a change in leadership if they felt their heritage wasn't properly respected."

Interest peaked, he continued reading even as he fought to keep down a yawn. "Scratch that, they'd most definitely appreciate a change of pace. It seems they haven't had a capable leader for a while, if 'a history of civil wars' is any indication." Opening the first page of the book again, he tapped thoughtfully at the map depicting the Elemental Nations.

"Of course, with this much chaos, it's possible that they'd be pretty hostile against perceived outsiders," he added thoughtfully, his finger wandering towards the ruins that had once housed his clan. "If I played that card, though …"

"Could still go both ways," he finally decided after a short silence, shrugging indifferently. "What do you think, Chickadee-san?" This time, the tiny bird chirped cheerfully, hopping onto his shoulder.

A gentle smile appeared on Asura's face. "I understand, Chickadee-san," he said, petting the bird's head lightly. "Go, then. I'm sure your family's already waiting for you." The bird nudged his cheek with its beak before taking off, chirping a good-bye. "See you again someday!" he shouted cheerfully, waving after his companion for the day.

After closing the book for the day, Asura stretched his joints, finally giving into the wide yawn. Reading was … exhausting. Boring. The last thing he wanted to do on a beautiful day such as this. Granted, he could learn useful new stuff about the world he now lived in that way, but he'd much prefer having a teacher who he could actually talk to instead of asking a bird for input.

Now, of course, he didn't want to doubt the wisdom of a chickadee in any way or form – for a bird, its way of thinking was probably perfectly appropriate. To ask for input about the history of human society, though … well, he could understand that the chickadee wouldn't be terribly interested in that topic. Nor was he, for that matter, but experience had taught him that knowledge about other cultures could greatly facilitate first meetings.

And one day, Asura was sure to meet people from the Land of Water. If he had anything to say about it, he'd meet people from all the corners of the Elemental Nations and bring them together on one table. Hopefully without having to bash their heads in first. Violence was something he'd prefer to avoid.

Directing his feet down familiar paths, the blond boy made his way back towards the orphanage he'd reluctantly called his home for the last few years. He'd hoped the treatment would grow better after his renewed efforts during the last few weeks, but it seemed his polite and helpful demeanour only served to unnerve his caretakers even further.

 **"** **They're afraid of what I'm up to,"** Kurama grumbled at the back of his mind, lazily stretching his limbs as well. Asura rolled his eyes. If the troublesome fox actually bothered to stay awake during his forays into the history of these lands, he'd progress far more easily. **"Oi,"** he immediately protested. **"I need my sleep more than you need to learn fast. You're four. You can't do anything, anyways."**

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Asura mumbled under his breath, grimacing as the orphanage came into sight. Maybe he should just focus on fading into the background, once again. Those were the most pleasant weeks, so far, even if Asura started craving any attention, no matter how negative, within only a few days.

His face immediately lit up, though, when he spotted the Sandaime Hokage in the yard in front of the house, apparently indulging in frivolous chit-chat with one of the caretakers. "Oji-chan!" Asura shouted happily, glowing under the friendly smile that was directed at him, which made it easy to ignore the dark glare he received from the woman next to the old man.

"Naruto," Sarutobi Hiruzen greeted warmly, easily catching the blond boy's flying hug, "how've you been doing?"

"Great!" Asura shouted, only grimacing inwardly at the warning glare the loving matron sent him at the question. "But I'm hungry," he complained, turning his big (and in this case very effective) blue eyes at the old man. "Are we going to grab dinner?"

"That's what I'm here for," Hiruzen chuckled, stretching out his hand for Asura to grab once he'd said good-bye to the matron.

"Ramen?" Asura immediately asked, having grown to love the food both out of a familial obligation and what was probably a genetic disorder. Whatever the case, his demand never failed to elicit a nostalgic smile as the Hokage agreed. "What's been going on with you, Oji-chan? You look pretty stressed," Asura added once they walked down the streets to get food from his second most favourite human in the village.

"Ah, nothing to concern yourself with, Naruto. I wouldn't want to bore you," Hiruzen replied dismissively. At the blond boy's earnest glance, though, he quickly gave. "Just some trouble with the Raikage, but the matter is mostly resolved by now. Nothing to worry about," he elaborated, steering him towards the Ramen booth.

Once the greetings and the ordering with Teuchi had passed, Asura immediately continued the conversation, grateful for the opening that would allow him to test his knowledge in practice. "The Raikage's an impulsive man, isn't he? Pretty unpredictable," he tried, basing his statement both on the talk on the streets and Kurama's vague memories.

The Hokage cast him a surprised look. "That's not in any of your books," he said slowly, raising an eyebrow. Asura scratched the back of his head awkwardly as his smile grew modest. It was nice to know that he could already impress his sole mentor, who held the access to all the knowledge Asura desperately wanted.

"Just some stuff I picked up from gossip," Asura mumbled with a full mouth, savouring the taste of his favourite food. "People've been pretty worried about this peace treaty 'cause they're not sure what Kumo's really after. 'Specially 'cause there's still no info about how the signing went," he continued sloppily.

By now, the Hokage was eyeing him rather strangely. Asura's cheeks reddened. Alright, so maybe this wasn't stuff four-year-olds would normally be interested in, but surely, it wasn't that weird? Right? Especially considering that he was an orphan with literally nothing else to occupy his time with.

"Um," Asura stuttered when the old man didn't react to his observations, "so, um, did something happen? I mean, with how unpredictable the Raikage is, a peace treaty would've been pretty risky, anyways, right? Did they try to steal something? Wait," he suddenly shouted, eyes wide with understanding. "Kumo loves Kekkei Genkai about as much as Kiri hates them, so did they try to kidnap someone from the clans again? Pretty stupid to do that during the signing of the peace treaty, though, everyone would be on high alert already …"

 **"** **Asura,"** Kurama suddenly cut in. **"Shut up. You're rambling."** Asura's face grew even hotter as he almost audibly shut his mouth, returning his gaze to his ramen. A brief, for the young boy very uncomfortable silence settled between them while Asura stirred his noodles with single-minded focus.

"You know," the Hokage finally said, "when I gave you these books, I didn't think you'd put them to use quite like this. I didn't expect you to even read them for years to come," he mused, before adding under his breath, "much less understand them as well as you obviously did."

"W-well," Asura stammered, reflexively grasping for one of his braids he was used to framing his face. His hands only hit empty air, though, resulting in a probably pretty awkward gesture as Asura redirected them towards his blond mop at the last second. "It's not like I have anything else to do, right?"

His lips stretched into a painful grin, but Asura had grown rather accomplished at faking happiness only four years into his new life. "'Sides, I'm going to need all of this to become the best Hokage ever!"

It seemed his not-so-subtle redirection had worked for the moment as Hiruzen chuckled lightly at his declaration. "Oh? So you're after my job, Naruto?"

"Well, you're pretty old, so someone's gotta take over at some point, right?" he replied with a sunny grin, ignoring the tiny stab of pain at the thought of the Sandaime's successor. His father's chakra had long since faded from his system, but Asura tried to feel grateful for having met him at all. Even if their meeting could have gone more smoothly.

"Now, now, Naruto, I'm not that old," Hiruzen chided with a benevolent smile on his face. "Don't go sending me to an early grave now."

"That's not what I meant!" Asura denied, frantically waving his hands in denial as his eyes grew wide, even though he knew the old man was only teasing him.

The Hokage chuckled at his actions as he stood up, tousling Asura's blond hair gently. "I'm sure you'll make a great Hokage one day, Naruto." After adding the meal to his tab, the Hokage and his protégé returned to the streets.

Asura discreetly watched the old man as they walked through the evening buzz on the market, returning greetings and stopping to exchange a few words with select people. If not for his presence, Asura suspected the Hokage would be ambushed even more, showered from all sides with cries for attention or simple shows of fondness.

That was something Asura couldn't help but miss terribly himself. The settlement he'd lived in may have been smaller than Konohagakure, but Asura had always been a prominent person there. He'd had everybody's acknowledgement and the love of the majority of his people. Even if someone was displeased with some of his actions, never had he been as ostracized as he was here.

Still, Asura kept the sunny grin on his face, remembered those better days fondly, and ignored the glares sent his way. One day, things would be different. He wouldn't rest until he made those words become a reality.

"Ne, Oji-chan?" Asura asked tentatively when the Hokage was temporarily unoccupied. "Where are we going?" While Asura was fairly familiar with most parts of Konoha – he'd explored everything by himself – the Hokage usually only accompanied him back to the orphanage after their outings.

The Hokage hummed in response. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about today, Naruto. You …"

Hiruzen's words blended into the background as Asura's gaze grew distant, his eyes drawn towards the gates of the village still some ways away from their position. _"Do you feel that, Kurama?"_ he asked his furry friend mentally, furrowing his brow almost unnoticeably as he directed his senses beyond the village's borders.

 **"** **I'm not the sensor between the two of us,"** the fox grumbled sleepily, but Asura could feel him perk to attention as he listened in on Asura's impressions. **"That feels familiar,"** he decreed after a short silence.

 _"_ _Yeah, I know,"_ Asura replied absent-mindedly, his entire focus on the large chakra presence rapidly approaching the village. _"Think it's one of the others? You've changed so much I can't clearly identify you anymore,"_ he said unhappily.

"Naruto!" Asura blinked when the Hokage touched his shoulder to gain his attention. "Are you listening?"

"Sorry, Oji-chan," the young boy mumbled, a part of his mind still focused on the presence that had stopped by the village's gates. "I, um, I just thought I saw Chickadee-san and that she needed help, but she didn't come talk to me, so everything's fine, probably." His eyes still gazed into the distance, but hopefully, the Hokage would dismiss it as a child simply being easily distracted. "So, where are we going again?"

Hiruzen sighed. "As I was saying, Naruto, you're going to move into your new apartment today." As the chakra presence grew agitated during its stay at the village's gates, Asura's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Your caretakers at the orphanage told me that you've grown very independent, and since they need the room, they suggested that you move out."

For a moment, Asura was torn on whether to curse or praise those neglectful … people, he quickly amended in his mind instead of one of the more colourful phrases that would have fit them. It wouldn't be a problem for him to live on his own, it would probably be more pleasant than it was now … but it also meant that his human contact would be even further reduced.

"That's great, Oji-chan!" he shouted despite his divided opinion. "Then I can eat ramen every day now!" Asura didn't want to eat ramen on his own every day.

 **"** **I'll still be here, kit,"** Kurama tried to comfort him as he did far too often. **"I'm not about to leave you on your own."** Even as Asura's smile grew a bit brittle, he sent the fox his gratitude. It was Kurama's choice to stay with him for the last few years, ever since Asura had gotten rid of the seal that had locked Kurama's cage.

Asura nodded dutifully to the Hokage's pre-emptive scolding as they wandered down the streets, suppressing his loneliness when he felt the chakra presence from before starting to move again – and, fortunately, it seemed to be heading into their direction.

Blue eyes immediately snapped to the headbands the approaching shinobi wore as the bustling in the market grew subdued, hushed whispers being exchanged. Hiruzen stepped forward, blocking Asura's view, but the boy'd seen enough already to understand the suddenly tense atmosphere.

"Hokage-sama," the lead shinobi greeted the leader of their village, the old man easily reciprocating his greeting, oozing an air of pleasantness even when there was a warning edge to his voice.

Asura quietly stepped around the Hokage, scrutinizing the new arrivals. As he'd already realised, they were a group of three Kumo shinobi, two men in their mid-twenties and a girl in her teens. It was that girl that had drawn his attention – and it seemed the intrigue wasn't one-sided.

"And who might you be, young man?" the blond woman asked with a warm smile as she crouched in front of him, ignoring the warning glares from both her companions and the Hokage's wary eyes. "I'm Nii Yugito," she introduced herself, strangely enough holding out her fist.

Eyeing the bold teenager with interest, Asura reciprocated her smile with a broad grin of his own. "Uzumaki Naruto, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure!" he announced, bumping his fist against hers. His grin widened a bit as he perceived the crackle of blue flames and a surprised hiss.

The short moment passed when the old man put a rather possessive hand on his head, tousling his hair again while chuckling at his introduction. Yugito kept her smile on her face despite the unspoken warning, though a shrewd light had entered her eyes. "I'll keep an eye out for you, then, Godaime-sama," she said with a teasing note to her voice, letting her fist fall back to her side.

"If you'll excuse us," the Hokage quickly interjected, obviously unwilling to allow any further surprises to happen. "We'll meet tomorrow," he added, addressing the lead shinobi again, who nodded his agreement.

 **"** **Matatabi better keep her mouth shut,"** Kurama growled as they once again followed the worried Hokage through the streets, towards the apartment building Asura would spend the foreseeable future in.

 _"_ _You think she recognised me?"_ Asura asked with surprise, before rudely halting their conversation. It wouldn't do to zone out around the Hokage again. "Who was that, Oji-chan?" he asked out loud instead, tugging on the old man's hand.

"A party of Kumo shinobi sent by the Raikage," Hiruzen replied, trying to sound dismissive. But Asura could easily tell the old man's mind was elsewhere, probably on the recent events he still hadn't told the young boy anything about. Now, he additionally had to worry about a foreign shinobi's interest in their Jinchūriki.

"What were they doing here?" Asura asked nevertheless. While he truly felt for the many concerns that had to weigh on the Hokage's mind, he desperately wanted more information about current happenings around the world.

His efforts were for naught, though. "Nothing for you to worry about, Naruto. Come on, now, we're here," Hiruzen swiftly switched topics, ushering the young boy into his new apartment, ignoring Asura's frown of displeasure.

Growing up was far more of a pain than he'd expected. Even though he was in a pretty unique position for a four-year-old, he couldn't influence the happenings in the world in any way despite his connection to the village's most prominent man.

Learning about the history of their lands was an uncomfortable compromise Asura had reached with himself. While he very much preferred action to the literary adventures found between stuffy pages of black squiggles, he couldn't delude himself into thinking that he'd be able to accomplish anything at this age, even if he were to leave the village.

It was highly unlikely that he'd be able to accomplish anything at all in this world without playing by their rules. That thought never ceased to give Asura endless stomach-aches. Of course, Asura wasn't a stranger to fighting or killing. Making this his profession, however, didn't sit right with him in the least.

As the Hokage lead him through his new apartment, it was obvious that he was still unnerved by the meeting earlier despite his words. Even if he'd tried to downplay the obviously tense relationship between the two villages, Matatabi's presence alone spoke of renewed distrust and a struggle for dominance.

 _"_ _Seeing her again was nice, though, even if it was brief,"_ Asura said to Kurama, staring into the darkness of his new room. Night had fallen as the Hokage had left, easily returning his thoughts to his nocturnal sibling. It would have been nice to actually talk to her again, to reminisce about old times, but Asura wasn't as foolish as to seek her out. Unfortunately, that would have to wait until the mood was less tense or Asura was old enough to take proper responsibility for his actions.

Kurama growled non-committally. **"She seems to be doing well, at least."** Asura chuckled at his grumpy response, having grown used to his reluctance to express any fondness for his siblings whatsoever. Well, at least Asura had managed to become an exception to this as long as they were alone.

 _"_ _I thought so, too."_ A genuine smile spread on the blond boy's face. _"Yugito's treating her well. I couldn't really detect any binding seal as had been applied to you, at least not anymore."_

 **"** **Lucky cat,"** Kurama grumbled, already closing his eyes sleepily. Asura rolled his eyes at the grumpy input. **"Fine,"** the fox added with an annoyed voice. **"It's nice to know that at least one of them's doing great."**

 _"_ _I knew you had a heart, Otouto,"_ Asura teased, ignoring the menacing growl at the childish treatment. _"We'll make sure they're all okay,"_ he added more seriously. _"We'll watch over them. I promise."_

xXx

 _A/N: So, chapter 3, everyone! I hope I manage to keep up the weekly updates, considering they're only about 3-4k per chapter it should (theoretically) be manageable ... I'll try not to disappoint you!_

 _I'm really grateful about the reviews, it shows there're some people out there who share my interests!_

 _Btw, to answer your question, Elise142: Indra and Asura have previously been reincarnated as Madara and Hashirama, as was mentioned in the anime. However, they weren't aware as they are now. The reason is - well, Deus ex Machina? I'm probably going to blame the sage. Anyways, it probably won't influence the plot much aside from a few déjà-vus._

 _As always, leave your comments! Make me happy!_

 _ **Next chapter: Burn to Ashes**_


	4. Burn to Ashes

**Chapter 4: Burn to Ashes**

"Onii-chan!" Itachi easily caught his younger brother as he jumped him, returning the hug gently. Dropping to one knee, the elder raven discreetly checked Indra for injuries before pressing a loving kiss to his brow. "I missed you," Indra added a bit more calmly, already missing the warmth of Itachi's hands on his shoulders again when they weren't even quite gone yet.

"I missed you, too, Otouto," Itachi replied with a warm smile, the gentle expression falling of his face when he rose to greet their father.

Before the atmosphere could grow too serious, though, Itachi's companion piped up, "Oi, where's my hug, squirt?" Uchiha Shisui pouted at the haughty look Indra shot him in response.

"But I didn't miss you, Shisui," Indra emphasized, chuckling gleefully when his cousin grasped at his chest dramatically, making a show of dying painfully slowly of heart failure. "Okay, maybe I missed you a little bit," he amended, saving his favourite relative from his dire fate.

That turned out to be a mistake as Shisui quickly swept him up in his arms, tickling him mercilessly. "You're a cruel, cruel child, Sasuke," he teased as Indra desperately tried to escape his hold between bouts of breathless laughter. "So, you didn't miss me at all? Who taught you to be so mean, huh? Was it Itachi?"

Said older brother looked quite a bit intimidated at being dragged into their spat, actually backing up a step. "It was, wasn't it?" Shisui shouted, suddenly dropping Indra to the floor, causing him to yelp in surprise. Naturally, the youngest Uchiha made sure to put extra pressure on Shisui's foot when he rolled back into an upright position.

"You're the mean one!" he shouted maturely, pointing his finger accusingly at the howling teen who was now holding his foot. "Who'd ever miss you?" For a brief moment, Indra wondered if his intelligence diminished with every second he spent in his cousin's company.

A moment later, he decided that he didn't care. It wasn't as if his intelligence had ever done him much good, anyways.

"Sasuke, leave Shisui in peace," Fugaku cut in at last, frowning at his younger son. Indra could only barely resist the urge to glower back. "Go practice kanji in your room."

This time, it was Indra who pouted. "Hai, Tou-san," he replied dutifully, immediately complying with his father's instructions. Well, at least until he was out of sight and Fugaku had turned his attention elsewhere – namely, the two shinobi who'd just returned from their month-long mission.

"I'll never see this sort of behaviour outside of this house. Do I make myself clear?" the strict clan-head growled at Shisui, the teenager presumably nodding quickly and meekly since Indra didn't hear a response. For now, the six-year-old didn't dare move closer to the scene, knowing that the likelihood of being spotted increased with every step.

It was truly fortunate that the Uchiha clan wasn't hailed for being talented sensors, otherwise Indra would have probably been spotted a hundred times over despite his adequate stealth skills. "Your mission went well?"

"Hai, Tou-sama," Itachi replied in a dead tone that caused Indra to flinch slightly. "There were a few hitches along the way, but nothing we couldn't handle. I'll leave my report on your desk tomorrow," he elaborated, his voice wavering not even once.

"Good." A few steps could be heard, but Indra was familiar enough with his father's habits to know he was pacing. So far, he was still safe to stay. "I want you to pay close attention the next days. Listen to the people, the civilians, the shinobi, all of them. I want to know everything they say about our clan, be it serious or in jest. And I want you to get an in with the council, I don't care how you do it. We need to know what they're planning."

The last words were said almost to quietly for Indra to pick up as their father talked himself into a frenzy. The young boy pressed his lips together. It was getting worse. The clan and the village were getting more and more estranged, and it showed on nobody quite as clearly as on his father. As more and more time passed without anything changing, Fugaku became more and more susceptible to the complaints of his subordinates, grew more distrustful of Konoha as a whole.

This was not going to end pretty. For now, the complaints were still only that – the dissatisfaction of loyal shinobi about how their lives had been evolving over the last few years. But Indra knew only too well what could happen if those feelings were allowed to fester. And that was exactly what the Hokage was allowing to happen.

"Did something happen, Fugaku-sama?" Shisui asked far more seriously than he ever was around Indra. Well, his cousin hadn't been hailed as a prodigy in his own right for no reason. Still, Indra never wanted to see the joking teenager in a fight. It was enough that he regularly had to pick up the pieces when Itachi came back from a particularly bad mission.

At least one of his relationships should remain innocent. But even as that thought entered his mind, he knew he was just kidding himself. He'd already had his childhood, and his chance at a second one had ended when he found out just what his family did for a living. "You have your orders, Shisui. You're dismissed."

"Can you go check up on Sasuke before you leave, Shisui?" Itachi asked, causing Indra to curse mentally. The little traitor. He'd make sure his older brother paid for this little jibe (for that's what it was, emotionless puppet his ass) later. For now, he had to scramble to his room as silently and quickly as possible.

"Sure thing, Itachi," Indra heard behind him as he reached his door, sliding it open carefully. When he didn't hear steps behind him, he stepped inside his room so fast he almost stumbled, only managing to shut it halfway in his rush. Before he could correct that mistake, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Seems like someone's been a bad boy," Shisui tutted gleefully, but Indra could detect a dangerous undercurrent in his cousin's voice.

Time to channel his inner child. "I was just playing ninja," he pouted, his dark eyes growing wide with innocence. "I thought I was getting better, but Onii-chan still noticed me the moment I got there," he crossed his arms, glowering darkly at his feet.

It seemed Shisui swallowed his act. "Oooh, Sasuke-chan, you still have a long way to go before you fool seasoned heroes like Itachi and me," he cooed, actually pinching Indra's cheeks much too the young boy's irritation.

"Don't lie!" Indra shouted irritated, slapping Shisui's hands away from his face, glaring at him. "You didn't notice me at all, baka!"

Shisui looked positively insulted at the accusation. "Sure I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

The door sliding open to reveal Itachi effectively put a hold to the conversation as both Uchiha looked a little sheepish at their childish argument when Itachi threw them a look that was clearly questioning their sanity. Well, it was his brother's fault, anyways, for leaving them on their own.

Any mirth Indra'd experienced during the short bout of insanity with Shisui disappeared when he caught the look on his brother's face as he sat down on Indra's bed.

Now, some people would claim that Itachi didn't actually have an expression, that he was the perfect shinobi, emotionless and controlled. However, most people only ever met Itachi under professional circumstances, didn't bother to get to know the person underneath the mask.

Indra, on the other hand, virtually always saw his brother when he was off duty, conversations with their father and certain other members of their clan excluded. As such, it was greatly worrisome when Itachi felt the need to shut him out, especially since Indra had become his closest confidant over the years. "What did Tou-san want, Onii-chan?"

Itachi smiled at him. It seemed so fake it sent shivers down Indra's spine. "Nothing to worry about, Sasuke," he said calmly, carefully untying the headband still decorating his dark hair.

For a second, Indra's eyes flickered towards Shisui, who was scrutinizing Itachi just as worriedly as Indra was. Itachi trusted their older cousin, his best friend, didn't he? But considering how Itachi kept his eyes fixed on his little brother, the real question was probably if Indra could trust him, as well.

His gaze turned back towards his older brother, indecision still plaguing his mind as he watched him put his headband on Indra's bedside table. Deciding to stall and play it safe for now, Indra grabbed the hair brush on his desk and climbed on the bed next to Itachi, getting rid of the knotted hairband with practiced ease.

It had become a strange sort of ritual between the two of them. Whenever Itachi returned from a mission, or even if he was just feeling upset, he came to Indra's room. Sometimes, not even a single word passed between them as Indra gently untangled his older brother's hair, running his fingers through the dark strands when he was done. At times like these, he supposed, their close, historic connection with felines really showed.

"Um …" Shisui said awkwardly after a few seconds of silence, looking at them incredulously. Indra didn't even bother to look up as he remained focused on his brother's hair, his thoughts racing at a mile a minute. He went through every argument for and against letting Shisui in on the fact that little Sasuke wasn't quite as innocent as he believed, if it was worth getting Itachi to open up now, if he would be any use as a potential ally.

"It's a tradition," Itachi replied the unasked question, his eyes closed.

"Right," Shisui drawled, scepticism dripping from the sole syllable. "You guys are so weird sometimes, you know that, right?"

Somehow, it was this comment that influenced Indra's decision the most. Because Shisui was right – they weren't exactly normal, even by shinobi standards, and nevertheless, their cousin stuck by them, stayed loyal at Itachi's side to help his young relative in adjusting to the harsh lifestyle awaiting him. Maybe he hadn't realised yet that Indra was even stranger – reincarnation really affected a child's behaviour, and he couldn't exactly be considered sane before his death – but somehow, Indra had the feeling that Shisui would still continue to support them.

"There was an incident with the police force two weeks ago," Indra said, his voice calm as he continued to guide the hairbrush through his older brother's hair. Two sets of black eyes snapped to him, both in varying degrees of surprise. "A kunoichi's civilian husband was robbed while she was on a mission, and she wasn't terribly pleased with our work. She continued to question virtually every action that had been taken to find the assailant, all the while dropping not very subtle comments about what she really thought about our clan's competency."

"What?" Shisui interrupted, flabbergasted, but Indra ignored his eloquent input.

"It went so far that she was deliberately hindering the investigation. Tou-san was furious, of course, and reported the incident to the Hokage. She was reprimanded for her behaviour, but … well, some of our more vocal members were demanding an indefinite suspension. They were disappointed, of course."

"Back up a second," Shisui snapped, glaring at Itachi. "Is your brother giving you a report? Seriously?"

For a few seconds, Itachi's black eyes met Indra's, his gaze heavy and considering. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find it in his little brother's calm expression, turning back to their cousin. "People look at me, see the genius of the prestigious clan and clam up," Itachi finally explained. "They look at Sasuke, see the cute little brother and forget he's there."

Mouth opening and closing without a noise escaping it, Shisui stared at the pair of brothers, apparently undecided what to think. In the end, it appeared he chose anger. "He's six, Itachi! Are you insane? You can't make him spy on our family! He's just a kid!"

"Itachi was a genin when he was my age," Indra countered, putting down the brush as he tucked a loose strand behind Itachi's ear. "Your argument could use some work."

Shisui stared at him as if he was seeing him for the first time. "God, you're like a mini-Itachi," he whined, letting himself fall into the wing chair in the corner of Indra's room where he pinched himself. Multiple times. "Come on, this has gotta be a nightmare. My brain's so fucked up," he muttered under his breath.

While their cousin continued mumbling for a few seconds, Itachi turned towards Indra. "I think you broke him," he deadpanned. Indra smirked at the sparkling amusement in his eyes, much better than the dead look he had upon arriving in his room. "Go fix him."

Yeah, no. "Why should I know how to fix him? You're his best friend!" Indra complained, plopping down on the bed next to his brother. Why on earth would Itachi ever think it was a good idea to make him deal with Shisui? If there was anything to be said about his social skills, it was that they were virtually non-existent.

"Okay, okay," Shisui said, lifting his face from where he'd buried it in his palms at some point during his denial phase. "I can deal with this." He took a slow breath before looking at Indra with strict eyes. "Sasuke. Never talk like Itachi in front of me again." Alright, so maybe he wasn't past denial, after all.

A fiendish smirk spread on Indra's face. "Sure," he purred, jumping from the bed and walking towards Shisui, who watched his approach warily. "Ne, ne, Shisui, you know what?" he suddenly exclaimed, jumping up and down as if a flip had been switched. "Tou-san wants me to enrol in the Academy already! But Ka-san said no. She wants me to start next year like all the other kids my age. It's so unfair!" he wailed, clutching Shisui's leg in despair.

Maybe he didn't have excellent social skills. But hell, if he couldn't be most ridiculously childish if he wanted to be. Those were the perks of being a younger brother. "I want to be a cool shinobi like you!" he cried, looking up at his mortified cousin with big, teary eyes. Okay, it was possible that he was laying it on a bit thick here.

Shisui's face dropped back into his hands. "This is sooo wrong," he muttered before sighing. "Alright. Fine, then. Every Uchiha genius born is weirder than the one that came before. It's a new law of nature." He grasped Indra's shoulder, peering down at him seriously. "Try to emulate me, at least, instead of Itachi. You got that, squirt?"

Indra shrugged in response, hopping back onto the bed next to his brother. That wasn't what he was doing, anyways. Itachi was a better person than he could hope to be, anyways, and besides, Indra was his own person, had been solitary, cold, logical in his interactions with other people for as long as he could remember. Shisui might think there was still hope for him to become a normal member of society, but that had never been and would never be amongst Indra's ambitions.

"What did Tou-san want, Itachi?" Indra asked instead, determined to get answers out of his brother now that Shisui was in the know.

The tiny smile Itachi'd had on his face after watching Shisui's and Indra's interaction fell as quickly as it had come as his gaze dropped towards his hands. "My Anbu application has been accepted," he finally said quietly.

Silence fell over the room as Indra's body grew still with horror. "Eh? You applied for Anbu? When?" Shisui spluttered, disbelief clear on his face.

Indra's hands clenched into tight fists. "You didn't. But Tou-san did, didn't he? Without your knowledge?" His eyes narrowed dangerously when Itachi nodded almost imperceptibly. "Tell him no. You're not going to do it. It'd kill you."

"You know I can't do that, Sasuke," Itachi said softly. "Our situation is very tense at the moment as it is. If I can help strengthen our clan's relationship to the village by joining Anbu, I will. Refusing now after I've already been accepted would only cast the Uchiha in an even more suspicious light."

"Anbu's hard work, Itachi," Shisui cautioned, his eyes full of sympathy. "It's considered an accomplishment if you last a year in the corps. It's rare to see anyone stay there for five years, and only few leave due to resignation."

Indra could barely swallow the bile rising in his dry throat as panic threatened to overwhelm him. If he lost his brother … "I'll be able to handle it," he distantly heard Itachi say. "I'm under no delusion that it will be easy, but I'll handle it if it allows me to keep the peace for a while longer, maybe even find a more permanent solution to reconcile the clan and the village."

God, he was such a self-sacrificing fool. Why couldn't Itachi be a little more selfish for once? Always thinking about the clan, the village, the world as a whole, spending far too little time on himself. Soon enough, Itachi would disappear, too, and the world would continue turning and forget he'd ever existed.

"Where are you going, squirt?" Shisui put a casual hand on the door Indra had just reached, blocking his way outside.

Indra glared at him, putting a hand on the door as well, barely even feeling a sense of satisfaction as it crumbled to ashes at his subtle command. "I need some time to calm down," he said coldly as Shisui yelped, striding out of the room before either of the two stunned Uchiha could protest.

If anyone dared to take Itachi away from him, he'd burn the village to the ground.

xXx

 _A/N: And that was chapter four! Granted, the title was maybe a bit too dramatic, considering that it was a lot of fluff, but suffice to say, this chapter will make waves in the future._

 _Now that the situations of both our main characters are established, they're not going to stay separate for much longer. Look forward to an epic battle of seven-year-olds! (or not.) Honestly, I'm trying to keep the power levels somewhat realistic._

 _Anyways, thanks for the reviews and keep up the good work!_

 _ **Next chapter: Skipping Stones**_


	5. Skipping stones

**Chapter 5: Skipping stones**

Asura couldn't really feel his body as he dazedly took the last few steps to find his place in the rows of shinobi hopefuls, his blue eyes captured by the black ones returning his gaze with emotions Asura couldn't place in his disbelief.

He didn't blink. He didn't breathe. Once he'd reached his designated spot, he didn't so much as twitch when the Hokage started his speech, almost afraid that if he moved, Indra would disappear.

And then, Indra turned away from him again, always away from him, and the moment was over, even if it didn't take the tenseness from Asura's muscles, didn't slow his hammering heart, didn't make his first breath through aching lungs any less painful. _"I'm not imagining this, am I, Kurama?"_ he stuttered mentally, a hundred different thoughts accompanying the question, probably creating quite a mess for his brother to decipher.

His brother. Kurama wasn't the only brother who was close enough for Asura to reach out to now, he wasn't alone. Of course, Indra was here as well; he had promised to always stand by Asura's side, to lend him his strength, to help him fulfil his father's will.

His lips trembled, his eyes grew damp, but somehow, Asura managed to keep it together despite the storm of emotions assaulting his brain. How would Indra react to his presence? Was he ignoring him right now? Why was Indra listening to the Hokage instead of watching him? Wasn't an older brother always supposed to watch out for the younger?

Why did he have to be facing forward? Asura wanted to see his older brother's face, wanted to see the usually carefully hidden emotions play out on his expression, wanted to memorize every facet of his new appearance. He wanted to look into his brother's dark eyes and see the love he knew Indra held for him, wanted to see regret, wanted to see him asking for forgiveness.

A tiny voice inside him whispered that maybe, maybe Indra wasn't feeling any regret at all. Maybe he was the reason that Asura had reincarnated in such an awful life, with his brother locked up in him and every human being in the village shying away from him. Maybe this was a way of demonstrating his power, to show him that Asura still wasn't a match for him despite how hard he'd worked to protect his family, that he'd still never be able to measure up to the genius of his older brother.

Asura shook his head wildly, ignoring the strange glances he received from his future classmates. No, he would not consider that. Indra had changed, he had to have changed. This was a new life, they had a second chance at life, surely Indra wouldn't throw that away? Surely, now, this was their chance to make up, to reconcile, to return to how they had been before their father had passed.

There weren't any difficult inheritance problems now, no jealousy issues – that all lay in a past long gone. They would be the only ones to even remember what had happened back then, so couldn't they just let it rest? It had never mattered to Asura who was more powerful, better suited to follow their father – in his opinion, there wasn't any need for a choice between them.

Surely, Indra would see this now? That there was no need for them to fight, because they'd obviously been well matched if they'd died on the same battlefield, facing each other. Did Indra even know that neither of them had bested the other? That they were finally, finally equals, even if it was in death, that Asura hadn't surpassed him, that he never would aim to reach ahead of his brother?

 **"** **Asura!"** The blond boy winced at the mental shout, crossing his shaking hands even as his eyes stayed on his older brother. **"Finally! Get a grip!"**

 _"_ _Sorry, Kurama,"_ Asura muttered mentally, reluctantly closing his eyes and taking a slow, conscious breath to calm his nerves. _"I can't believe he's here, too,"_ he finally added. _"I'm not alone, after all."_

 **"** **You've never been alone,"** Kurama growled. Asura could feel his tails twitch in irritation. **"Or don't I count, now that you've found your human brother?"** Even as Kurama uttered those words bitterly, Asura knew he didn't really mean them. At least, he desperately hoped that Kurama didn't mean them, because if he did, Asura had failed the only person who'd constantly stood beside him during this miserable life of his.

 _"_ _Of course, you count, Otouto,"_ Asura said fiercely. _"You know that, so please, don't say stuff like that."_ Kurama didn't react to the reprimand, and Asura let the topic drop for now. If necessary, he would spend some time with Kurama in his mindscape, later, but for now, Indra had priority. _"I've just … I've been wondering for years why I'm here, and we haven't made any progress finding out the reason. But now that Indra's here …"_

Once, he'd promised his father that he'd always be there to oppose Indra on his path to destruction. Hagoromo had even talked about reincarnation as if it was a possibility, but Asura hadn't taken his comment literally until he'd spent a few months in his new life.

But now that Indra was here as well … Asura's eyes wandered back towards his brother, both fear and guilt filling his mind. Fear of having to fight his brother again, of failing to reach out to Indra in a peaceful manner again, and guilt for doubting him already when Indra hadn't given him any indication yet that he would continue his quest from before his death.

Could things ever go back to how they were between them if Asura couldn't bring himself to let go of his doubts? Would he unwittingly drive Indra away from him again, back into the dark depths of madness he might have long since risen from because he couldn't find the strength to trust his brother unconditionally?

Indra was still facing forwards, and Asura couldn't help but scrutinize the stiffness in his posture. Surely, he was aware of the eyes on him, was aware that Asura was trying to communicate with him silently. Why couldn't he just give his little brother the reassurance he desperately needed?

 **"** **Be careful, Asura,"** Kurama finally said in response to Asura's jumbled thoughts. **"You can't afford to lose yourself to sentimentality. You'll need a cool head to deal with Indra, or you'll run the risk of missing something."**

Even if he didn't feel like it at all, a tiny smile tugged on Asura's lips. _"It's good that I have two sets of eyes, then, isn't it? Help me out, Kurama?"_

The fox sighed at his playful question. **"Of course, I will."** In a strange contradiction to his words, Asura saw him close his eyes in exasperation. **"Just be careful, kit."** It was as amusing as it was perplexing how often the two switched between the roles of older and younger brother.

While Asura had once been Kurama's older brother and often couldn't help but see the playful little fox kit he remembered, Kurama had lived countless centuries, millennia longer than Asura ever would. Add the fact that Asura was currently in a child's body, and it was easily understandable that Kurama often acted protectively, as well.

But Asura didn't mind the fox's behaviour. In fact, it was comforting to him that someone was looking out for him, even if that someone happened to share a body with him. It was better than being entirely on his own. **"Kit,"** Kurama chided as he was wont to do whenever Asura's thoughts took a turn for the negative.

 _"_ _Sorry,"_ Asura mumbled, turning his eyes to the front just in time to hear the Hokage end his welcoming speech. He blushed slightly. Hopefully, the old man wouldn't question him on what he'd thought about his words later on.

It didn't take much longer for them to be dismissed for the day, the lessons only starting in earnest tomorrow. As the strict rows started to disassemble, Asura immediately tried to hurry to the front, blue eyes fixed on his brother's back.

Indra's eyes met his for a moment, clearly noticing his approach, but instead of heading into his direction, as well, his brother turned around again, latching onto an older man's hand with unconcealed excitement.

A stab of pain froze Asura's movements as he watched Indra interact with the strict man who was probably his father, looking so innocent and enthusiastic it took Asura's breath away. Indra'd moved on? What if he didn't want Asura be a part of his new life? What if he was happier with the family he had now? Was Asura only an unwelcome problem to his older brother?

The pair moved past him without Indra acknowledging his presence again, only his father peering down at Asura for a second. Suddenly, the gazes from the adults around him felt heavier than they had in years, the hushed whisperings more malicious and hurtful than ever before.

Asura swallowed drily, his hands forming tiny fists at his sides. Suddenly, he wasn't sure how much longer he could take this. Years of loneliness, of rejection, of people refusing to acknowledge his existence pressed on the weak spots in the walls of cultivated indifference he'd constructed around his mind as his hands started trembling.

His feet moved by themselves as he escaped from the school yard, the streets passing him by at first, but soon, he took to the roofs when he couldn't take the usual stares from Konoha's inhabitants any longer.

What kind of village was he living in if people could be so cruel to a mere child? What kind of world had he resolved to protect that looked upon a helpless member of their society with indifference at best, with so much hatred at worst? Why could nobody look at him and actually see him for who he was, not just the deeds his brother hadn't even wanted to commit?

Asura didn't know how long he'd been running aimlessly, but in the end, he finally sat down on a lonely swing in an unoccupied playground, exhaustion catching up to him as he swung back and forward lightly, his feet never leaving the ground.

Despite feeling Kurama trying to get his attention at the back of his mind, Asura ignored him as he picked up a flat rock, turned it over and over in his hands with a strangely nostalgic feeling he couldn't quite place. There was nothing special about this rock, and he'd always felt a much stronger connection to wood, anyways, but something about the innocuous little stone (perfect for stone-skipping, a little voice whispered) tugged at his heart, made him feel his loneliness even more.

His fingers ghosted over the smooth surface to distribute the salty water dropping from his eyes evenly, unsuccessfully trying to distract himself from his tears by examining the new patterns on the wet stone. But his sight only grew blurrier, and his hand clenched around the rock as if his life depended on it.

Why did Indra have to be back, as well? Asura had gotten used to the absence of his brother, had found closure, had accepted the deaths of his family as part of a natural cycle he was only excluded from due to some freak accident. Why did he have to turn up now, when Asura had finally resolved to attend the Academy as the Hokage had urged him to do for years now? Why did he have to look at him, with his unreadable eyes, and not even exchange a single word with him?

As much as it hurt, his brain didn't have any mercy on him as he remembers the look of adoration Indra had sent his father, an expression he hadn't seen on his older brother's face for ages. Why couldn't Indra look at him like that? What had he ever done to deserve his brother's anger, and now this cold indifference that damn near froze the blood in his veins?

Why couldn't he have just stayed dead? Even as the thought crossed his mind, Asura immediately felt guilty, but still couldn't suppress the resentment bubbling in his chest, his tears finally drying up as an uncharacteristic surge of anger filled him. How could his brother just show up in front of him, only to cast him aside without a second thought? Asura had proven that he was an opponent worth fighting – even if Indra still believed in his cause, he should have at least paused when laying eyes on him.

Because Asura was the one who killed Indra. Because Asura was strong, much stronger than Indra had ever believed he would become, and he would make his brother regret ignoring him. Because even if he was in a child's body now, Asura had the memories and the experience of a God's son, and Indra had better remember soon just what that meant.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry, I'm sorry!" The meek, frantic stuttering drew Asura's attention, a warm, surprisingly strong chakra presence greeting him when he glanced in the direction the words had come from. Unwittingly, his grip around the stone slackened slightly, the hard lines of his grim expression softening ever so slightly.

A last, choked sob escaped him as he grasped his head, banishing the fury, the vengefulness that had consumed every bit of his rational thinking. He was better than this, had to be better than this – his father would have been ashamed to see him right now.

When he heard mocking words taunt the girl, disrespect her apologies, Asura pushed his own shortcomings to the back of his mind and jumped off the swing, slipping the smooth rock into his pocket whilst walking briskly to do one good deed in this day, to at least try and make up for his failure, to repay the person who'd saved him from his temporary insanity. "Quit it!"

The three older boys turned around in surprise before the one in the middle sneered at him. "Oi, look! It's that boy!" he laughed as Asura stepped around them, stopping in front of the dark-haired girl who was cowering on the ground.

Even as he was looking down at her with worried eyes, trying to ascertain that she was unhurt, that she wasn't curling in on herself to hide her injuries, the bully threw a punch at his face. Instincts from a time long passed made him raise his arms, protect his head as he took a single step back to cushion the blow.

His blue eyes turned towards his assailant, the colour as cold as ice. "Leave her alone," he repeated as he lowered his hands again, but once again, his order was unheeded. This time, Asura caught the punch with his own hand, but the boy's accomplices took his momentary distracted state to attack from the sides.

Asura's first instinct was to call the nature around him to help but stopped himself at the last second. Asura fought to protect, not to hurt, and those were only children, foolish children who didn't know better. With his own unreliable emotions, he couldn't risk losing control and causing serious injuries.

That consideration took maybe a fraction of a second. During his next breath, Asura pushed the fist in his hand away from him, sending the older boy tumbling, surprised by the blond boy's strength. Already, Asura moved to evade the attacks flanking him before he heard the sniffling behind him.

Swallowing drily, Asura broadened his stance and braced himself, knowing that the children's attacks would barely hurt, that any damage they'd manage to do would be healed by Kurama soon anyway, that it would hardly cost him. But for the girl behind him, he knew that his action of not moving from his spot would spare her a world of hurt.

When he turned slightly towards the bulkier of the two boys, intending to at least block his attack, a dark blur shot from the trees, a sharp kick delivered to the second attacker. Even through his surprise, Asura still blocked the blow from the other boy easily, throwing him towards the first bully.

His breath caught in his throat as his eyes caught the Uchiha fan on the back of the dark blue shirt, as they wandered upwards and spotted a small smile on the pale face, so fleeting and gentle Asura wasn't sure he hadn't simply imagined it. "I suggest you back off," Indra stated in an even voice, his expression cold and intimidating.

The bullies looked at one another hesitantly, apparently torn between risking humiliation and not wanting to give up their target. But a voice from behind Asura and Indra finally made their decision for them. "Hinata-sama!"

"Oh shit!" The boys cursed almost as one, scrambling to their feet and taking off when a long-haired Hyuuga entered the clearing, dragging the dark-haired girl to her feet.

Disgusted eyes fell on Asura, but the expression cleared up into a careful façade of politeness upon spotting his older brother. "Uchiha-san," the Hyuuga greeted emotionlessly. "Thank you for your assistance. Let's go, Hinata-sama."

The girl's protests fell on deaf ears, and soon, they were out of sight. Still, Asura's eyes lingered on the spot they'd disappeared to for a while. His heart was hammering loud enough in his chest that it almost drowned out the wind rushing through the canopy above them.

At long last, Asura turned his head, and blue eyes met black. "Indra," he said, silently impressed how even his voice came out as his body followed his face, his older brother mirroring his motions, whether deliberately or unconsciously, Asura didn't know.

"Asura," Indra acknowledged, holding his gaze with his own unyielding stare, his right hand twitching on his side with an intention Asura couldn't quite decipher. Asura's own hand unwittingly tightened around the stone in his pocket.

A silence fell over the clearing, swallowing even the faint sounds of the village as two brothers came face to face for the first time in eons.

xXx

 _A/N: I hope you enjoyed chapter 5! Things are finally starting to pick up. And yes, I totally couldn't resist the little cliffie :P_

 _Anyways, thanks for the positive feedback, looking forward to hearing more from you!_

 ** _Next chapter: A reunion of legends_**


	6. A reunion of legends

**Chapter 6: A reunion of legends**

"Hurry home now, Sasuke, and prepare for the Academy tomorrow," his father uttered instead of a good-bye when he let go of Indra's hand at the entrance of the Uchiha compound, clearly intending to head back to work now that he'd fulfilled this obligation.

"Hai, Tou-san," Indra replied obediently, walking absent-mindedly towards his home even as his thoughts strayed further from his clan and his family than they'd done in years.

It had been so easy to accept his new place in the world, to focus on his older brother who'd welcomed him with open arms, to do his best to guide his new family into a safe future even if they'd never know of his actions. Indra'd pushed all his thoughts about his old life to the furthest corner of his mind, had tried his best to forget his past actions, had tried to erase his past self to live a new life.

Once he'd realised that he'd been given a second chance, Indra hadn't ever questioned again just how this had come to be.

And then Asura appeared.

While Indra was far from the masterful sensor his little brother was, it would have been exceedingly difficult for him not to recognise Asura when he entered the courtyard only shortly after himself. His eyes had been immediately drawn to the one person he was more familiar than he was with himself, the only person aside from his father he'd occasionally missed while adjusting to his new life.

Asura had looked back at him with the same disbelief on his face that Indra had experienced, but his surprise morphed into that irritating, undefeatable hope of his, into genuine joy at seeing his brother again, at seeing the person who'd killed him, who'd mercilessly destroyed his dreams.

It was unbearable. Indra clenched his fists as he came to a stop just in front of his home, Asura's now blue eyes haunting his every thought. The hope, the yearning, and then how heart-broken, how devastated he'd been when Indra had walked away from him.

And then, those stares from the adults around him, as if Asura was vermin that'd just crawled out from some dark corner and reminded them of past transgressions.

It had taken every ounce of his control not to go on a murderous rampage, right there, right then. Because this was Asura, Asura who'd always cared too much, Asura who'd give his life to protect his people without a second of hesitation. He was the last person on this entire planet who ever deserved to be ostracized like that.

"Oi, squirt, you alright there?" Shisui stepped up from behind him, ignoring Indra's twitching hand, and tousled his hair playfully. "How was the ceremony, eh? You a full-fledged ninja now?" he teased, but, as always since their first real conversation a year ago, there was a serious air underneath his cheerfulness.

"Shisui, you're back early," Indra replied distractedly, unwittingly slipping on an emotionless mask he'd never shown anyone in this lifetime. "Don't you have a mission?"

The frown on Shisui's face was barely noticeable as he continued to play the fool. "Nah, I'm all free for today, Sasuke-chan! Want me to teach you a new shuriken technique?" Indra could hear the hidden question about what exactly was going on with him.

Internally, he scolded himself, even though he knew that this couldn't really be helped. Why did Asura have to show up out of nowhere and completely screw with his mind? This just wasn't fair! Indra'd just received a second chance to make up for his mistakes of his previous life, and now those mistakes came to haunt him, threatened to take everything he valued in this life from him.

He turned away from his worried cousin, back towards the entrance to the Uchiha compound in the distance. "Ne, Shisui," he asked, his voice so quiet only Shisui could pick it up. "There's something I need to take care of. I don't know how long it'll take. Cover for me?"

The older Uchiha scrutinized him for a bit before sighing. "I guess you won't tell me what it is," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Run along, then. Try not to get into too much trouble," he added a bit more loudly, giving him a pat on the back.

Indra threw him a grateful smile before taking off once more, back out on the streets faster than he wished. Time passed far too quickly as he soon returned to the Academy, but of course, Asura wasn't there anymore. While he was glad for the short reprieve, it did present a bit of a problem since he now had to waste additional energy in locating his little brother in the first place.

Maybe he should just stop this madness, anyways. It wasn't like he wouldn't see Asura during the next few days – they were in the same class, after all. In fact, they'd probably see each other so often he'd soon be tempted to murder the midget again, if his personality was anything like Indra remembered.

The nostalgic smile on his face surprised him a little. It wasn't like he actually missed Asura these days, was it? He had his own family that he loved with his tiny black heart, even if his brother was more and more absent these days, even if his father had always been too strict and withdrawn for a healthy relationship, even if his mother still saw a baby to be protected when she looked at him.

A tiny chuckle escaped him as he sat down on the ground, closing his eyes. Asura truly was the miracle worker their father had seen in him, managing to maintain his persistent clutch around Indra's heart even after he'd long since killed his emotions in his past life.

It took a lot more concentration than Indra would like to admit to attune himself with the world around him, to stretch out his senses beyond their physical barriers and swift through the mass of energy that was the population of Konoha to find the chakra presence he was looking for.

A tiny headache greeted him when he opened his eyes once again, but he ignored it with the faint smile still on his lips. Immediately, he jumped back to his feet and navigated the winding streets of his village again, reaching the playground he'd located his brother in far too soon.

Once he was almost there, he halted in the trees, at a loss of what he was actually going to do, now that he'd found his brother. What if Asura decided that he couldn't possibly have changed, that he couldn't be forgiven, and tried to kill him? What would he do then? Fight Asura again, even though it was the duty of an older brother to protect the younger?

Itachi's tired smile flashed before his eyes, a smile that he saw so rarely since his older brother joined the village's black ops. How Itachi came to his room far more frequently than he ever had before, rarely speaking a word, only gazing at Indra as if he was the only thing that mattered in the entire world.

Indra smiled his own tired smile as he sat crouched on the branch, his resolve found. "It's that boy!" he suddenly heard and jumped through the trees to close what little distance still separated him and his little brother, dread churning in his stomach.

In the end, though, it turned out only to be a few bullies so far in over their heads it wasn't even funny. If Asura decided to get serious, there wouldn't even be enough of them left to bury. But of course, this was his soft-hearted little brother, who only fought to protect the weak little girl behind him and who obviously had every intention of taking an unnecessary blow just to spare everyone else the pain.

Before Indra consciously decided what to do, his body was already moving, jumping between Asura and his second assailant, delivering a sharp kick to the boy's chin. The smile on his face quickly disappeared as he faced down the idiots who'd thought it would be a good idea to mess with his brother. "I suggest you back off," Indra said, perfectly polite and cultured.

Indra barely noticed the Hyuuga's arrival beyond the fact that it scattered the bullies and, soon enough, left him alone in the clearing with his brother, who still wouldn't look at him. Each second that passed felt like an eternity as the wind played with the leaves around him, teaching them a beautiful dance that went entirely unappreciated as Indra waited for Asura to finally, finally turn his head.

At long last, then, large blue orbs pierced into his, every emotion, every conflict ravaging through Asura's heart clear for the world to see if it only bothered to look. "Indra," his little brother said, his voice in complete contrast to the turmoil Indra could feel just as much as Asura did.

Moving his body to mirror his brother, Indra returned, "Asura." He really was there. Indra hadn't expected this sensation, this mutual acknowledgement to have such an impact on him, but it did. It almost took his breath away, standing face to face with his brother again, and he almost reached out with his hand to make sure Asura was truly there, that this wasn't a dream.

Another few seconds passed as the boys scrutinized each other, as Indra took in every detail of his brother's face. One thing was sure, his little brother definitely had the more striking appearance this time around. Indra couldn't recall ever seeing this hair colour, heck, even this particular shade of blue in the entire village.

And then, there were those peculiar whisker marks adorning his cheeks. Birth marks, Indra presumed, but definitely a new, strange addition.

He didn't look like his little brother, at all.

Indra, at least, had still some of the characteristics that had defined his appearance during his last life. While his hair was a little more manageable right now, it was still the same colour, and one day, Indra knew, he'd have the same red eyes he had been so proud of before. Asura, though … Asura looked like a whole different person.

His eyes narrowed a tiny fraction, Asura following his example and the tension in the clearing rose. He looked … thin. Definitely too thin, and a little too small to be the same age as Indra, but that could be attributed to genetics. The sad state of his clothes could not. "Why does everyone hate you?" he blurted out without thinking.

Asura flinched noticeably and took a step back, wrapping his arms protectively around his own body. However, he didn't answer Indra's question and actually went as far as to drop his gaze.

The fury he'd experienced in the schoolyard immediately returned with burning intensity. Nobody, nobody was allowed to make Asura look like that, to make him question himself when he had never wronged anybody. Snarling, he moved towards his brother, the stillness of the moment completely broken.

He was barely within an arm's reach when he found a kunai pressed against his throat, halting his movements immediately. While before, hurt and despair had been the only emotions on his face, now, there was the fierce determination that he'd come to associate with his little brother. "I don't care if I have only broken and blunt weapons right now," Asura said lowly. "We both know that wouldn't stop me."

Much better. Indra couldn't help the tiny, satisfied smile that tugged at his lips. "No, it wouldn't," Indra agreed as he put his hand atop Asura's but made no move to remove the blade from his neck. Instead, he slowly raised his other hand, touching his brother's face gently as Asura watched warily.

The smile grew a bit wider, yet softer as he traced the lines of Asura's face, his eyes following his own fingers as he touched his nose, his birthmarks, his chin. "You look different," he whispered, surprised at how hoarse his own voice was.

The pressure on his neck let up slightly, a tiny drop of blood escaping the shallow wound as Asura's blue eyes grew wide. "Indra," he exhaled, his weapon dropping from his hand. "You're crying."

Chuckling weakly, Indra guided Asura's hand still clasped in his towards his own cheek. "I guess I am," he huffed out, curling his fingers around his little brother's as his other hand lightly tugged at the messy blond hair.

Asura still stared at him disbelievingly as Indra caressed him, only tentatively closing the remaining distance between them further as he brought his free hand to Indra's other cheek, soon holding his face in between his palms. Only half-heartedly did he wipe his tears away, obviously still perplexed by the occurrence.

Indra had never been a person who sought comfort through touch, but suddenly, he brought his arms around Asura, drawing the smaller boy into a tight hug as he buried his face in the blond hair. "Oh god, Asura," he breathed, choking on his sobs as the emotions he thought he'd killed downright overwhelmed him.

His shaking body was so much more noticeable in comparison to Asura's stiffness as his fingers curled into his little brother's clothes, his hair, desperate not to let go of him. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry." His apologies were muffled, distorted by his own sobs and Asura's hair but his brother seemed to understand him, nevertheless.

Finally, he felt warm hands on his back, rubbing comforting circles as Asura returned his desperate hug. "It's okay," he heard his brother's voice distantly. "I forgive you." If anything, that increased his distress instead of comforting him as Asura had probably intended.

What he'd done … that wasn't something Asura should just forgive and forget. It wasn't something he could ever make up for just by looking after his big brother now, by trying to protect a peace that nobody seemed to truly desire. No matter how much he wished otherwise, his actions back then had done irreversible damage, and his actions these last few years barely even qualified as a band-aid he tried to apply to the gaping wound he'd carved into the world.

This wasn't … because of Indra, there was so much conflict in the world today, his father's art horribly misused to demonstrate superior power to enemies and allies. Heck, they lived in a society of professional killers, where nobody saw an issue with an eleven-year-old performing assassinations. And it was all Indra's fault.

If not for Indra, Itachi would live in the society he dreamed of, could be a scholar, a historian as his older brother not so secretly wished, would enjoy the tranquillity of peace without ever having to touch a weapon in his life. If not for Indra, Itachi would smile more easily and more often, wouldn't have to constantly be on his guard even in his own home.

If not for Indra, Asura would have lived a long and happy life with the people he loved, would have watched his children grow up, his grand-children born, and would have died with a smile on his face, surrounded by family instead of bleeding out in the wreckage of their fight all alone.

Indra shook his head frantically. "No," he choked, falling to his knees as he forced himself to let go of his brother. "You don't. You can't. You shouldn't." His fingers clenched in his pants as he turned his eyes towards the ground.

His head was forced upwards again only a few seconds later, his jaw in Asura's hand as his little brother glared down on him. "You don't decide that for me, Indra," Asura said firmly, his blue eyes full of the fierce fire Indra had both loved and feared. "Now dry your tears. It's unbecoming for the mightiest son of the Sage of the Six Paths."

"The what now?" Indra blurted out, his brain a jumbled mess of guilt and confusion that was desperate to latch onto a safe topic to distract from the storm of emotions in his heart.

Asura actually laughed at his clumsy words. "You know, that was precisely my reaction as well," he replied, his face filled with so much joy and life it took Indra's breath away once again. "It's what people call our father these days. They don't remember his name, or anything about us other than the fact that we had to have existed at some point."

"I see," Indra muttered, looking back down on his hands despite Asura still tilting his chin upwards. His brother sighed almost inaudibly, letting Indra's face go, instead kneeling down opposite of him to grasp his hands with his own.

"I meant what I said, Indra," Asura said calmly, absent-mindedly drawing circles into Indra's palms. "I forgive you. That you feel such deep regret for your actions is more than I could have hoped for," he added, looking at Indra earnestly. "It's in the past, and we aren't. I'm just glad to have my brother back."

"You shouldn't," Indra repeated, his heart hammering painfully in his chest. His dry, tired eyes looked back up at his brother. No matter how much he wanted to flinch away, he forced himself to curl his fingers around Asura's instead, drawing strength from the blond. "But thank you."

Things weren't okay between them, and maybe they never would be – maybe there was simply too much history between them. But, if nothing else, this was at least a step into the right direction, a step back towards the trust that had once existed between them.

Asura smiled at his shy response, before dragging him back to his feet, letting go of one of his hands afterwards. "Come on," he all but ordered, clenching his fingers around Indra's a bit more firmly. "My apartment isn't too far from here. I haven't eaten all day."

His stomach gave an uncomfortable twinge at that, as well. "Okay," Indra replied unnecessarily, already following after his brother. "I should probably eat something, too." Whether he'd be able to keep it down was another question entirely.

Immediately after they'd entered the streets again, heading further into the outskirts of the village, Indra could feel the stares on them, both surprise and horror directed at him while Asura received the, what he suspected to be, usual amount of hostility. His little brother's hand tightened a little further around his own, warning in his eyes even as he smiled at the glaring people around them.

Reluctantly following his silent instruction, Indra kept quiet but couldn't stop himself from sending a few frightening glares of his own at those who were particularly obvious. The grip on his hand grew crushing. Indra ignored it.

Fortunately, before Asura turned his precious appendage to mush, they arrived at the young blond's apartment. The building it was in was in just about as sad a state as Asura's clothes were but at least inside, there was no malice directed at them constantly.

The first impression Indra received upon entering Asura's apartment was just that: it was obviously Asura's. The evening sun illuminated the single room in an orange light, and despite the cracks in the walls, it simply seemed full of life.

That's probably because it was. Even though they were in a building, there were plants everywhere. It comforted Indra to a degree – if Asura'd practically turned his room into a miniature forest, he wouldn't have put it beyond him to simply start camping out in the woods. It meant that there was still someone who gave a damn about the blond boy, even if he obviously lived on his own here.

"I know it's small," Asura chirped, his grin once again genuine, if a little self-conscious, "but make yourself at home. I'll go cook some food in the meantime," he added, turning towards the small kitchen in the corner of the room.

There was really only one reaction Indra could have to that statement. "Fuck, no," he cursed, freezing in horror.

Asura looked at him in a surprise for a second, before he burst out laughing. "Oh, get over yourself, it's just instant ramen," he chuckled once he got a hold of himself. "I'm not going to set the stove on fire." He didn't protest, though, when Indra tagged along. It wasn't as if there was that much room in the apartment, anyways.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Indra deadpanned, recalling a few disastrous occasions that he had worked extremely hard to repress. Suffice to say, he was very reluctant to try any food that Asura had whipped up.

While Asura set up a pot of water, Indra's eyes wandered around the apartment, stopping at the impressive bookshelf above the bed in surprise. Perplexed, he wandered over there, taking the book from the bedside table, leaving through the pages in interest.

Those were the kinds of books Itachi would kill for, Indra quickly realised. What on earth were they doing in his barely literate younger brother's room? "Since when do you read?" he asked bluntly, having learned long ago that Asura preferred upfront questions instead of subtleties, even if he was fairly proficient at them himself.

"You wound me, Nii-san," Asura drawled, snatching the book from his hands. "Of course, I read. The world's changed a lot since we were alive. What better way to find out about what's on people's minds than by finding out about their past?" Almost dismissively, he put the book back onto the table. But only almost. "Can't let you read that, sorry. I had to beg Oji-chan for ages until he lent it to me. There's some classified stuff in there."

Of course, that meant that Indra wanted to read it all the more, even though he wasn't terribly interested in the topic. "Oji-chan?" he questioned instead, however, since he knew the tone of voice Asura'd used intimately. His brother sure wouldn't budge on this issue easily.

"Oh, yeah," Asura said, sitting down on his bed. Indra cast a wary glance towards the stove. "I mean, we're not actually related, but the Hokage sees me as something like his honorary grandson. Of course, that's mainly because –" Indra's eyes snapped back to his little brother as he broke off, wincing.

"Asura?" he inquired cautiously, taking a step closer to his brother. "Everything okay?"

While Asura's expression stayed fairly concentrated, he did force a smile onto his lips. "Yeah," he replied, sounding strangely out of breath even though he'd sat on his bed the entire time. "Perfectly –" Once again, he flinched, grimacing as he put a hand to his head. "Alright! I got it!" he suddenly shouted, causing Indra to jump back again in surprise. "Stupid fox," he muttered under his breath, annoyance seeping into every word.

Uneasily, Indra's eyes flickered around the room as the plants started moving, forming a body at Asura's command. It only took a few seconds until a perfect replica of his little brother appeared next to them.

Then, the clone's birth marks darkened, and his pupils turned into slits surrounded by a vicious red colour not unlike the Sharingan's. "Never," the not-quite-a-clone growled. "Never. Block me like that again. Asura." A pang of faint familiarity hit Indra when he heard the dark voice, but he couldn't quite place the impression.

"Sorry, Kurama," Asura muttered meekly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly while also unintentionally answering Indra's silent question. Though, of course, that still didn't explain anything. "It worked out fine, though."

"That's because you were lucky," Kurama emphasized, his hand shooting up to point at Indra, "that he isn't the complete madman he once was anymore!" Indra blinked when the red eyes turned on him. "No offense," the blond clone shrugged.

The situation had definitely taken a turn for the surreal. "I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be offended when the evil fox demon calls me insane." And he'd just known there was something more to that story. But it had been the first and only indication besides the Sharingan that he was still in the same universe as he'd lived in during his first existence, so Indra had pretty much made sure to ignore it. "How did you end up in Asura, anyways?"

"That's … kind of a long story," Asura laughed awkwardly. "You should probably sit down."

And boy, did Indra end up being glad that he'd followed that suggestion when Asura opened his mouth again.

xXx

 _A/N: Hi, guys!_

 _*hides behind a sheet of paper*_

 _... Sorry for being gone so long. I've been a bit unmotivated to write as of late, and I'm not positive I'm going to continue this story yet. I mean, I have some ideas, but no concrete plans, and well ... a lot of unfinished projects, so I don't know what to focus on first. So, no regular updates, unfortunately._

 _Still, I hope you liked this little turn of events! What do you think of Indra and Asura in general? (Not just in my little story, but in the original verse as well.) I've always thought it was a bit of a pity that they didn't get more of a spotlight ... Especially Indra, I guess. He was just the BAD guy, that started the whole Uchiha - Senju feud. Kinda sucks._

 _Another thing I was kind of curious about - what do you look for when reading a Naruto fanfiction? What is it that you like to see in your stories?_

 _Looking forward to your answers, and maybe I'll see you again in the (likely faraway) future for another chapter!_

 ** _Next chapter: The first day_**


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